Car-door-actuating mechanism



W. N. MCCLELLAN.

CAR DOOR ACTUATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18| T920.

WTNESSES ivf w. N. MCCLELLAN. CAR Dooa AcTuMmG MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I3, I920.

W. N. MCCLELLAN.

CAR D003 ACTUATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION msu MAY 1a. 1920.

Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- IN VEN TUR MLTEE/VNQCLELLM TTORNEYS W. N. McCLELLAN.

CAR noon AcuMsN MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY18, 1920.

4 sHEUs-snzu 4.

IN VEA/TUR I/IQLzme/Y/Vfnm Pafnted Feb. 22, 1921.

A TTORNE V8 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER N. MUCLELLAN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OFTWENTYPEB. CENT. '10 GLADSTONE M. HINTSON, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CAB-DOOR-AGT'ATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I WALTER N. McCLEr.- LAN, a citizen of the nited States, and resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Car-Door-Actuating Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a car door operating mechanism and has particular reference to a means for controlling the entry and exit of passengers to and from the same, said invention being in the nature of an improvement over a similar device set forth in Letters Patent of the United States ranted to me March 9th, 1920, bearing atent N0. 1333430.

The invention primarily contemplates a means for controlling the entry and exit of assengers to and from a car, said means ingo arable from a common-'control'point prefere ly located within convenient reach of the motorman. l

An important feature of the invention resides in the provision of the safety devices for reducing the possibility of accidents to passengers to a minimum.

Another object in view is to provide an eicient fare collectingmeans which controls the exit' passages of the'car.

A still further ob'ect in vieigvr residesA in the provision of the sa ety doors and the means automatically operable thereby for bridging the gap between the alighting station platformA and .the car. i

A further object in view is to provide an automatic signaling means` which notifies the motorman that the door .passages are clear for the closing of the safety doors.

Another feature of the invention is the provisionof a safety means carried by the door which functions to fend of passen ersv attempting to board or leave the car w ile the safety doors are closing.

With the above recited and other objects in view, some of which will clearly ap ar hereafter reference' is made to the fol owing detai ed description, claims and accompanyingv drawings 4which forma part' of this application, and in which:

Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view through a railway car constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view therethrough taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentar longitudinal vertical sectional view ta en approximately on the line 3--3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a similar view illustratin the opened position of the steps for bri gin the'space between the station platform an the car.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detailed fragmentary sectional and diagrammatic view of the mechanism for controlling the exit from the car.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken approximately cn the line Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic View of the step controlled signaling means.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional view through one of the doors illustrating the fenders arranged thereon.

Fig. 10 is a detailed sectional view of the safety coverin which may be used in connection with t e fenders.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, 10 designates a car provided on `its. opposite sides with entrance passagesI 11 and exit passages 12. The opposite ends of thecar are provided with the cabs 13 .for the b operator thereof and in which is adapted to be arranged the common controlling means for all of the safety suitable well known manner. A piston rodv 22 is connected by.` a link 23 to the lever 15 and a coiled compression spring-.24 is disposed between thc piston head-18 Iandfthe cylinder head 25 to normall exert a force for eifecting the closing of t e door 14. 4In order to provide means for locking the door in its closed or open positions, a latch 26 is pivoted tadjacent thereto as at 27, the nose 28 of which is adapted to respectively engage the rear end of the door or the notch 29 rovided in its forward end. The latch is esigned to be released by a compressed air actuated means which includes the cylinder 30 in which is arranged the piston 31 connected by the piston rod 32 to the latch arm 33, air being admitted to the cylinder by means of the air supply pipe 32". The valve 33 located in the cab 13 serves to establish communication between the reservoir 21 and the cylinder 30. The safety steps 34 which are pivoted to the fioor of the car at opposite sides of the door 14 as at 35, are connected b the links 36 to a common slide rod 37. fiexible connection in the nature of a cable or chain 38 trained over the guide pulleys 39.serves to connect the free extremity of the rod 37 with the free extremity of the latch arm 33 whereby the steps 34 will be thrown to a bridging position upon releasing movement.of the latch. A coiled compression spring 40 serves to normally Vthrow the steps to inoperative position and Said spring also functions to move the latch 26 to lockin position.

^ In order to provi e a signaling means which will automatically inform the operator when the steps are unoccupied and clear to permit the closing of the safety doors 14, the electric signalin means illustrated in Fig. 8 has been devised. The signaling means comprises a normally open circuit 41 which includes the source of current 42 a signal 43 which is preferably arranged in the cab 13, and the contact members 44 and 45 disposed respectively on each step 34 and on the car floor directly therebeneath. The contact members of each step are arranged in parallel in the circuit in such a manner that when either step is de ressed the signal will be in operation. A s ort compression s ring 46 is disposed between each ste and t ye car floor to normally effect a 'su cient elevation of the step to dispose the contact members out of enga ment. When either of the steps is occupied, the weight .of the passenger will serve to depress the same suliiciently to engage the contact members for closinglthe circuit, thereby advising the o eraltor t at it is unsafe to close the door.

en all of the steps are clear the signal circuit is broken, thereby informing the operator that the doors may be closed with safety.

The safety doors 14 are preferably provided with fenders 48 in the nature of bowed resilient leaf springs which normally tend toward relative se aration from the side faces of the door. he purpose of the fenders is to fend olf passengers attem ting to enter or leave the assages when t e doors are in the act of c osing. The fenders are designed to collapse against the side surfaces of the door when the same is retracted within the sides of the car for opening the passages. If desired a flexible covering 49 such as canvas or the like ma be attached to the fenders 48 to obviate tlie possibility of the passengers clothing becoming caught between the fenders and the door.

In addition to the safety doors 14, revolving doors or turnstiles 50 are provided and arranged within the car adjacent the passages. The turnstiles 50 adjacent the entrance openings 11 operate to admit of the free entrance of passengers to the car but serve to prevent exit therefrom. The said means includes the ratchet wheel 51 mounted on the shaft 52 andthe pawl 53 which co-acts with the ratchet to limit rotation of said turnstiles in one direction. The obstructing fingers 54 prevent exit of the assengers from the entrance passages 11. urnstiles 50 arranged adjacent the exit passages 12 are preferably housed by the vestibule wall 55 having a door-way 56 communicating therewith. These turnstiles are limited to rotation in one direction by means of the ratchet wheels and pawls 51 and 53 similar to the ones heretofore described. VIn order to provide means to prevent the exit of the passengers through the passages 12 except upon the payment of the required fare, a coin actuated locking means is provided which normally prevents rotation of the turnstiles. Said means includes a disk 58 mounted on the lower extremity of the turnstile shaft 52 and having cam surfaces 59 and notches 60 on the periphery thereof. A detent 61 formed on the extremity of the pivoted detent arm 62 is normally disposed within one of the notches 60 to prevent rotation of the turnstile under the action of a tension spring 63. A solenoid 64 is operatively connected with the detent arm 62 and is adapted when energized to throw the detent arm to a position to release the detent from the notch 60. The solenoid is included in a normally open circuit 65 having a source of supply 66 and s aced contact members 67 and 68 which are sposed at opposite sides of a coin chute 69. When the coin is deposited in the coinreceiving opening 70 the same gravitates into engagement with and bridges the contact members 67 and 68 to close the circuit 65. The closing of the cir` cuit functions to energize the solenoid and release the detent from its notch, thereby permitting the turnstile to be rotated. In order to rovide means for releasing the coin toal ow the same to drop free of `the contact members into the coin box 71, `the contact member 68 is pivoted as at 72 and the lower extremity thereof is connected to the throw rod 7 3, the free extremity of which is provided with a roller 74 arranged in the path of'movement of the disk 58. As the turnstile revolves the cam surfaces 59 on the periphery of the disk co-act with the roller 74 to effect a movement of the throw rod 73, which in turn swings the contact member 68 to a position to release the coin. The spring 75 serves to return the contact member 68 to a position for obstructing the passageof the next coin. A door 76 is provided adjacent the coin box 71 to permit of the removal of the coins therefrom at the end of each trip of the car.

In the exemplification of the invention which has been here illustrated, the safety doors 14` on the opposite sides of the car are respectively controlled inde endently but the controllin means for botli sides are arranged in eac cab 13 to permit the operator to open all of theY safety doors on each side when arriving at an express station in which the platforms are disposed at either side of the car.

While the invention is set forth as a means for controlling or actuating car doors to permit of the entry and exit of passengers to and from the car, the system accomplished by said means is also considered a novel and important feature of, this` invention. By this system the fares are collected and the entrance and exit of passengers to and from the car is efficiently controlled automatically after the o erator of the car has effected the opening o the safety doors.

While a single an preferred embodiment of the inventlon has been shown and described, no limitation is necessarily made thereto as the same is merely illustrative in so far as it is covered by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a car having entrance and exit passages, means permitting of free entry through the entrance passages and preventing exit therefrom, lookin means for preventing free exit from t e exit'passages, coin controlled means for releasing said lookin means, outer safety doors for obstructmg all the passages and manually controlled means for simultaneously effecting opening or closing of said doors.

2. In a car having entrance and exit passages, means permitting of free entry through the entrance passages and preventing exit therefrom, locking means for preventing free exit from the exit passages coin controlled means for releasing said lockin means, outer safety doors for obstructing all the passages, manuall controlled means for simu taneously e ecting opening or closin of said doors, means for retaining the sa ety doors respectively in their closed or o cned position, and means for releasing sai retaining means.

3. In a car having entrance and exit passages, means permitting of free entry through the entrance passages and preventing exit therefrom, locking means for preventing free exit therefrom, coin contro led means for releasing said locking means, outer safety doors for obstructing all the passages, manually controlled means for simultaneously effecting opening or closing of said doors, retaining means for locking the safety doors res ectively in their opened position, means or releasing 'said retaining means, and means operable by said releasing means for brid ing the s ace between the car and an alig ting plat orm.

4. In a car having entrance passages and exit passages, means for preventing` exit from the entrance passages and means for limiting the exit of the passengers from the exit passages comprising revolving doors in the exit passages2 means for preventing the revolution of said doors in one direction, meansfor locking the revolution of said -doors in the opposite direction, and coin actuated controlling means for releasing said locking means.

5. The combination with a railway car having outer sliding doors and inner revoluble entrance and exit doors, of manually controlled means for simultaneously effecting the opening or closin of the sli ing doors, means for locking tie exit doors against the exit of passengers therefrom, and coin actuated controlling means for re leasin said locking means.

6. he combination with a railway car including entrance and exit passages of outer slidin doors and inner revoluble doors for said assages, means for limiting the revolving oors to rotate in one direction, means for preventing exit from the entrance passages and com actuated controlling means for the revolving doors of the exit passa es.

7. The com ination with a railway car having outer sliding doors and inner revoluble entrance and exit doors, of manually controlled means for simultaneously 11 eifecting opening or closin of the sliding doors, coin actuated contro ling means for releasing the exit doors,means for retaining the sliding doors in open or closed position, means or releasing said retaining means, and means for brid ing the space between the car and an alig tin platform, said bridging means being opera le by said releasing means.

8. A railway car comprising entrance and exit passages, automatic means operated to limit the use of said entrance passages as entrances, means for 'lookin the exit passage against free exit there rom, and coin actuated controlling means for releasing said locking means to ermit exit from the exit passage, in com ination with outer safety doors adapted to close all of the passages.

9. A railway car comprising entrance and exit passages, automatic means operating to limit the use of said entrance passage as an entrance, means for locking the exit passage against exit therefrom, coin actuated controlling means for releasing said locking means to permit exit from the exit passage, in combination With outer safety doors adapted to close all of the passages, and manually controlled means for simultaneously opening or closing said doors.

10. A railway car comprising entrance and exit passages, automatic means functioningl to limit the use of said entrance passage as an entrance, means for locking the exit passage against exit therefrom, coin actuated controlling means for releasing said locking means to permit exit from the exit passage, in combination with outer safety doors adapted to close all of the passages, and manually controlled means for simultaneously opening or closing said doors, said controlling means being arranged at a common controlling point in the car.

WALTER N. MCCLELLAN. 

